1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a plant growing assembly for use in growing a plurality of plants above a ground surface. More specifically, the present invention concerns a plant growing assembly that includes a plant growing container with a generally hollow body, with a plurality of spaced apart plant-receiving ports defined in portions of the body, such that plant stalks grow outwardly from the body through the ports in generally opposite directions.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that it is often desirable for a variety of reasons to grow plants, such as decorative flowers or edible vegetables, for either commercial use, personal use, or both. As is generally known, the growing of plants is a business or a hobby for many people. In the United States, for example, gardening is widely recognized as one of the most popular of hobbies, and is consistently undertaken by a significant portion of the population. Commercial farming is also important.
The growing of plants and vegetation requires, among other things, physical space for root systems and plant stalks. Traditionally, plants are grown in a single direction, namely, generally upwardly out from a ground surface. An overwhelmingly common system for growing plants involves simply placing bulbs, seeds, or seedlings, directly into prepared soil on the ground surface, such as in a garden or a landscaping application. The amount of land dedicated to the growing of plants therein, therefore, is a limiting factor in the number of plants that can be grown in such a manner.
Another conventional system for growing plants involves placing soil into a dedicated container in which a plant can be grown. Examples of suitable containers include starter cups or pots (for housing individual plants within the container) and flower boxes or the like (for housing multiple plants within the container). Such containers may be advantageously placed and/or moved to maximize exposure to resources of sunlight and water, or to minimize exposure to pests. For example, such containers may be placed in a greenhouse and disposed on shelves or tables in order to increase the space available for growing plants.
While traditional plant growing systems have been satisfactory in some respects, they have also presented drawbacks. For example, when plants are grown directly in the ground, it is necessary to dedicate additional square footage to increase the number of plants that can be grown in an area. In addition, it can be difficult to control drainage and saturation of the ground depending upon weather patterns and thus, plants grown in the ground are susceptible to under- or over-watering. For example, during extended periods of rain, the ground can become over-saturated, resulting in a loss of vegetation. Moreover, the generally exposed ground surface leaves plants vulnerable to pests (such as ground-borne insects) and weeds, and can also subject necessary water (either from rain or irrigation) to undesirable loss through often rapid evaporation. Particularly when growing vegetable plants directly in the ground, even the picking or other collecting of edible portions of the plants can involve uncomfortable work to access often relatively low-lying plants.
As is generally known in the art, conventional container systems have been essentially modeled after replicating growing plants directly in the ground. For example, known open top containers can expose the soil to environmental conditions and provide for plants to grow out of the container in a single, generally upward direction. Thus, traditional container systems have also been subject to many of the same drawbacks as growing directly in the ground, including space constraints, exposure to pests and weeds, and water loss through rapid evaporation.
Accordingly, such known plant growing systems require considerable lateral space adequate for the number of plants desired, and can involve intensive maintenance in the form of watering, weeding, and the like. Especially in the growing of vegetables for food, these and other drawbacks of known systems form an appreciable barrier to the growing of additional plants in a given amount of space and hinder increased production.